Web Site Launched to Help Fill More than 50,000 Higher Education Jobs in Five Years

PASADENA, Calif.— Colleges and universities in Southern California expect to hire more than 50,000 new employees in the next five years, and a new Web site officially launched September 29 at UCLA will make it easier for job seekers to find those jobs.

The Southern California Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), an association of 23 public and private colleges and universities in Southern California, including the California Institute of Technology, is sponsoring the first higher education employment Web site in the region, at www.socalherc.org.

The site gives job seekers access to centralized information about thousands of faculty and staff positions at HERC colleges and universities. Previously, job seekers had to visit the Web sites of each college and university to search for employment opportunities. Currently there are about 1,500 jobs are listed on the site.

"Higher education is a significant economic force in Southern California," said UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale. "HERC member campuses have a combined overall budget estimated at over $10.6 billion, and they employ close to 80,000 faculty, staff, administrative, and executive employees."

"In the next five years, HERC member campuses expect to hire more than 50,000 employees to continue to fulfill our shared mission of educating young people, advancing society through scientific and technological innovation, and developing responses to social problems in a rapidly changing world," Carnesale added. "In the next 10 years, Southern California HERC campuses will hire over 100,000 new employees."

HERC members include University of California and California community college campuses, and private colleges and universities. Participating campuses are in areas south of Monterey County, from Santa Barbara in the north to San Diego in the south, and as far east as Palm Desert.

Dlorah Gonzales, director of the employment office at Caltech, said universities are often overlooked by job seekers. "Many people don't think of colleges and universities when they are looking for a job. We're hoping this online service gives them new options in their search for a new job or a whole new career," Gonzales said.

"Higher education represents a microcosm of the overall job market," said Pepperdine University assistant provost Steve Hewgley. "Colleges and universities employ people in a wide range of fields and with all levels of education. In addition to faculty and research positions, there are also positions for people in many other occupations including lawyers, mechanics, engineers, Web developers, accountants, psychologists, animal care specialists, administrative assistants, and dozens of others." ###